A new lease on old hardware

In 2003, I bought an HP OfficeJet 7110 all-in-one, a big, boxy monster that did (and still does) printing, scanning, faxing and copying. I’ve barely ever used it to fax, but the feature is there in case I need it. Now I’m using it over our wireless network with an Apple AirPort Express, and it [...]

Better check that HP return policy

As I finished packing up the G4050 scanner that I’m sending back to HP, I read through their return policy, and was shocked:
“You have 21 days from the time of the purchase to return the product for credit or exchange.”
Not only have they reduced the return period to 21 days (which is a big [...]

An update on the HP G4050 Scanjet

Just got off the phone with HP Shopping, which is an entirely different division that HP Support apparently doesn’t know about. I say that because even though I told the support techs last night I purchased the G4050 directly from HP and I wanted an RMA, they couldn’t figure out I needed to speak to [...]

The HP Scanjet G4050 stinks, and so does HP’s support

Here’s the bottom line: the Scanjet G4050 should have stayed in HP’s labs for several more months while they worked on two very important things: scanning speed when doing high-quality or even normal scans, and proper resizing of film negatives. Right now, it’s a disappointing product. It is incredibly slow, and its image resolution for [...]

Hardware review: HP Pavilion m7480n desktop

I’ve been using the Pavilion m7480n desktop for the last 2 and a half months, and I’m pleasantly impressed. This is a great desktop system, it’s fast, stable, packed with great features, but most of all, it’s well designed, and that’s what sets it apart from other desktops on the market.

I have never seen so [...]

Debunking the latest half-true hype from Apple

When Apple stated in their Hot News section that the Mac Pro line is cheaper than similarly-configured PCs, I couldn’t help writing this post. This half-truth has bothered me ever since the WWDC keynote address, when Apple’s marketing VP (I forget his name) did a comparison between an entry-level Mac Pro and a Dell and [...]

Two great bargains: HP Pavilion dv2000 and dv6000 series laptops

As detailed in my last post, I’ve been scouring the market looking for laptop deals, and I found two that were really good. After I compared the specs for these two laptops with similarly equipped laptops, I found them to be hundreds below comparable models, and on top of that, well-made - at least when [...]

HP to cancel telecommuting for its IT division

In a move that stunned its IT workforce and the public, HP’s new CIO announced it will eliminate telecommuting for most of its IT folks. They’ll be forced to come to work at some 25 offices in various locations around the world. If they don’t, they’ll be out of a job without severance pay. Due [...]